Block making machine



Nov.`8, 1938. L '.1.- J. HOLLAND. JR 2,136,009

` BLOCK MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12. 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 orneys Nov.8, 1938. J. J. HOLLAND, JR' 2,136,009

BLOCK MAKING MACHINE Nov. s, 1938. Y J. J HOLLAND, R 2,136,009

BLOCK MAKING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12, v1938 4 sheets-sheet 4 Bygwmnwz. Isym m torneys Patented Nov. 8, 1938 l 'U'Nrre4 smits PTENT OFFIQE.

7 Claims.

lIhis inventionV relat-es to machines for making buildingv blocks and anobject of the invention is to provide a machine of this characterthrough the medium of which building blocks may be quickly andexpeditiously made.

'A further object of the invention is to provide amachine embodyingimproved means for feeding the material from which the block is to bemade to a mold; as Well as improved means for vibrating the mold duringthe feeding of the mat-erial thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter embodying a novel arrangement of feed hopper, mold, andvibrator; as well as improved-means for controlling the feeding of thematerial from the hopper to the mold.

The invention together with its objects and advantages will be bestunderstood from a study of `the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:-

l Figure 1 is a top plan View of the machine,

Figure 2 is a View partly in section and partly in elevationillustrating certain details herein- .Y after more fully referred to,

Figures 3 and 4 are detail views taken substantiallyon the lines 3-3 and4-4 respectively of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view with certain parts in section andshowing the vibrator,v

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail view partly in section and partly inelevation illustrating certain parts of a raising and lowering devicefor the mold,

Figure rlis an enlarged View partly in section and partly in elevationshowing a core member positioned Within the mold,

Figurev Slis a top plan View of the mold,

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View through the mold, thelatter being shown in lowered position and Figure 10 is a perspectiveView of the building block'.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals it will be seen that thedevice is particularly designed for making or forming building blocks ofthe type suggested in Figure 10 and indicated by the reference numeral5, said blocks being formed of suitable material and shown as f beingprovided at the opposite ends thereof with grooves 6 and intermediatethe grooved ends l with through openings l.

In the preferred embodiment thereof the block making machine comprises abase 8 `from which 1. rises a pair of tubular standards thattelescopically receive therein rods It. The rods Hl at their upper endsare connected by a cross member II. Integral with the cross member IIare the upper ends of core Shanks I2 and these core Shanks I2 at theirlower ends are provided with integral cores I3 which are preferably ofthe shape shown.

The outer or endmost cores I3 are provided with suitable formations I4provided for the purpose of'forming the grooves 6 in the block 5, itbeingrunderstood that the cores I3 are used in forming the throughopenings e.

In connection with the above and from a study of Figures 2 and 8 it willbe seen that the formations Hl are inthe form of plate-like elementssubstantially channel shaped in end elevation.

The core shanlrs-IZ and cores I3 are accommodated within a feed hopperI5'th-e walls of which are suitably inclined to insure a completefeeding of the material therein toward the bottom of the hopper, andwhich bottom is open; The hopper I5 is rigidly supported between thestandards S through the medium of brace arms I.

For the bottom of the hopper I5 there is provided 'a valve indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral I'I;

Valve Il isrin the form of a pair of elongated plates I3-I il and theseplates at one end are pivotedas at It toa fixed collar or flange EB onone of the standards 9 while adjacent their free ends the plates I8 reston a support bar 2| that is secured to the standard 9 and extendslaterally thereof as clearly shown in Figure 4.

Intermediate their ends the plates i8 are complementarily notched as at22 to provide core accommodating openings as clearly shown in Figures 4and 7; Manifestly with the plates I8 in the dotted line or open positionshown in Figure 4 the contents of the hopper I5 will flow therefrom intoa mold indicated generally by the referencenumeral 2d.

The mold 2d is of a frame-like construction having side and end wallsand accommodates therein a bottom 25 provided on the upper end of atubular shank 25 which has a sliding fit on a short postor standard 2rising from the base 8.

The mold 24 has depending fromthe corners thereof guide sleeves 2t whichslide upon guide standards 29 rising from the base 8, and for raisingand lowering the lmold 2d there is provided a rock shaft 30 suitablysupported between the lower ends of the standards S and drive from theshaft 3B istransmitted to the mold 24 through the medium of I`togglelinks 3 I uit;

itil

A hand lever 32 is provided for rocking the shaft 30.

For transmitting upward movement of the mold 24 to the bottom member 25,.the mold 24 at the corners thereof is provided with anges 33 which,when the mold 24 is just short of the limit of its upward movementengage the bottom member 25 at the corners of the latter to cause thebottom 25 to move upwardly with the mold as the mold 24 moves to theextremity of its upward motion. The object and purpose of this will behereinafter more fully explained.

For releasably securing the mold 24 at the desired position ofadjustment there is provided on the rock shaft 3i! a disk 34 providedwith notches 35, 36 and Si in the periphery thereof, and cooperable withthese notches is a dog 38 provided on one end of a spring arm 39that atone end is suitably secured to the upper end of a relatively short post48 rising from the base 8 asV shown in Figure 3.

For raising and lowering the cores I3 there is provided a suitable handlever 4I which intermediate its ends is pivoted to a bracket 42 mountedon either of two sides of the hopper I5 as sug-l gested in Figure 3. Atone end thereof the hand lever 4I has a lost motion or pin and slotconnection 43 with the cross rod II.

For releasably holding the cores I3 in the raised position shown inFigure 10 there is suitably mounted on one of the standards 9 a springdog 44 the head 45 of which worksthrough a suitable opening providedtherefor in said one standard 9 to engage a recess 46 provi-ded thereforin one of the guide rods Iil as clearly shown in Figure 2.

Extending laterally from one side of the mold 24 is a table 4l that isadapted to receive the block upon ejection of the block from the mold24, and beneath the table 41 is a hood 48. Ar-

I8 adjacent the pivoted end of said one plate as clearly shown in Figure4. With the valve plates in the closing position shown in full line inFigure 4, said one plate 8 will engage the push button 52 of switch 4Ifor maintaining the switch open. Consequently it will be seen that whenthe plates i8 are swung to the open or dotted line position shown inFigure 4 push button 52 will move outwardly to close the switch 5I andtherefore complete a circuit through the motor 49 so that the latterwill serve to vibrate the mold 24, this vibrating of the mold takingplace during the pouring or transfer of the contents of the hopper I5 tothe mold 24.

'Ihe utility and operation of the machine will be best understood fromthe following:

In filling the mold 24 the latter is substantially in the raisedposition shown in Figure 2 while the cores I3 are lowered into the mold24 as suggested in Figure 7. Valve plates I8 are swung to the open ordotted line position shown in Figure 4 thus permitting the material todischarge from the hopper I5 into the mold 24 about the cores I3 andformers I4. In this connection it will be noted that with the valveplates I8 in open position the circuit through the motor I 9 iscompleted so that the mol-d will be subjectedV the hopper I5.

to a vibratory action during the lling of the mold with the contents ofthe hopper I5. When the proper amount of material has been fed into themold 24 valve plates I8 are swung to the closed or full line positionshown in Figure 4 thus cutting off further flow of the material from Themovement of the plates I8 to this closing position also results in atripping of the switch 5I to open position so that the circuit throughthe motor 49 is interrupted.

In'connection with the above it will be appreciated that just prior tothe feeding of the contents of the hopper I5 to the mold 24 there isplaced within the mold 24 to rest on the bottom level and the valveplates I8 moved to the closed position to cut off further flow of thecontents of the hopper I5 the operator pulls'- downwardly on the handlever 4I to raise the cores I2 to the position shown in Figure 2, inwhich position, it will be noted, the lower ends of the cores I3 aresubstantially flush with the closed valve plates I8. When this has beenaccomplished the operator then pulls on the lever 32 until notch 35 isengaged with the dog 38, this resulting in a. transmission of a furtherupward movement of the mold 24 from the position shown in Figures 2 and3 a distance upwardly of about one and one-half inches so that the upperedge of the mold contacts the undersides of the plates I8 which lattertogether with the lower surfaces of the cores i3 provide a substantiallysmooth top plate for the mold 24 when in this latter position forsmoothing off the mold contents, and at the same time, compressing, to acertain extent, the contents of the mold.

The final operation is then to swing the lever 32 to rotate the shaft3i] in a clockwise direction (Figure 6) until dog 38 is engaged withnotch 3l. The rotation of the shaft 30 in this direction will result,through the medium of the links 3i in a downward movement of the mold 24l and this downward movement of the mold 24 is transmitted to the bottommember 25. When, however, the bottom 25 is in the position shown inFigure 9 mold 24 continues its downward movement until the upper edge ofthe walls of the mold are substantially ilush with the bottom 25, andthe block consequently positioned so as to be readily slid, with thepallet board 53, from off the bottom member 25 onto the shelf 'or table47 whereupon the parts of the machine are in a position in order thatthe operation just described may be repeated for the forming of the neXtblock.

In connection with the movement of the mold 24 from the position shownin Figure 2 upwardly to engage the closed plates I8 it will be seen,that with the flanges 33 engaging the bottom member 25 the latter willbe caused to move'upwardly from the' position shown in Figure 2 with themold 24 as the latter moves from the aforementioned position shown inFigure 2 to the extremity of its' upward movement or, in other words, toa position engaging the undersides of the plates I8.

It will thus be seen that with a machine of this character a buildingblock such as shown in Figure 10 may be quickly and easily made, and inactual practice it has beenfound that these blocks can be made at therate of one every ten seconds.

It is thought that a clear understanding of the construction, utilityand advantages of an invention of this character will be had without amore detailed description.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:-

1. In a block making machine of the character described, a hopper, amold arranged in alignment with the hopper, said hopper being open atits bottom, core members movable perpendicularly within the hopper andthrough the bottom thereof into and out of the mold, and a valve for thebottom of the hopper comprising a pair of pivoted complemental plates,said plates having complemental notches in the meeting edges thereof toprovide through openings` to accommodate said cores.

2. In a block making machine of the character described, a hopper, amold arranged in alignment with the hopper, said hopper being open atits bottom, core members movable perpendiculuarly within the hopper andthrough the bottom thereof into and out of the mold, and a valve for thebottom of the hopper comprising a pair of pivoted complemental plates,said plates having complemental notches in the meeting edges thereof toprovide through opening to accommodate said cores, supporting means forsaid cores including means for raising and lowering the cores.

3. In a block making machine of the character described, a hopper, amold arranged in alignment with the hopper, said hopper being open atits bottom, core members movable perpendicularly within the hopper andthrough the bottom thereof into and out of the mold, and a Valve for thebottom of the hopper comprising a pair of pivoted .complemental plates,said plates having complemental notches in the meeting edges thereof toprovide through openings to accommodate said cores, supporting means forsaid mold including means for` raising and lowering the mold and awayfrom the bottom of said hopper, and for securing the mold at the desiredpositions of elevation.

4. In a block making machine of the character described, a hopper, amold arranged in alignment with the hopper, said hopper being open atits bottom, core members movable perpendicularly within the hopper andthrough the bottom thereof into and out of the mold, and a valve for thebottom of the hopper comprising a pair of pivoted complemental plates,said plates having complemental notches in the meeting edges thereof toprovide through openings to accommodate said cores, supporting means forsaid mold including means for raising and lowering the mold and awayfrom the bottom of said hopper, and for securing the mold at the desiredpositions of elevation, and a vibrator for said mold mounted on a sideof said mold.

5. In a block making machine oi the character described, a hopper, amold arranged in alignment with the hopper, said hopper being open atits bottom, core members movable perpendicularly within the hopper andthrough the bottom thereof into and out of the mold, and a valve for thebottom of the hopper comprising a pair of pivoted complemental plates,said plates having complemental notches in the meeting edges thereof toprovide through openings to accommodate said cores, supporting means forsaid mold including means for raising and lowering the mold and awayfrom the bottom of said hopper, and for securing the mold at the desiredpositions` of elevation, and a vibrator for said mold mounted on a sideof said mold, said vibrator including an electric motor, a controlswitch for said motor, and said control switch being mounted between theplates of said valve and having a push button in the path of one of saidplates to be engaged thereby for opening the switch incidental to amovement of the valve plates to a closing position.

6. In a block forming machine of the character described, a hopper,posts at opposite sides of said hopper, rods having a sliding t in saidposts, a cross bar connecting the rods at one end of the latter, aplurality of rigid shanks depending from said cross bar and extendinginto said hopper, core members on the shanks at the lower ends of thelatter, and formers on the endmost core members for giving apredetermined shape to the respective opposite ends of a block to beformed in said machine.

'7. In a block forming machine of the character described, a hopper,posts at opposite sides of said hopper, rods having a sliding t in saidposts, a cross bar connecting the rods at one end of the latter, aplurality of rigid shanks depending from said cross bar and extendinginto said Y hopper, core members on the shanks at the lower ends of thelatter, and a valve for the bottom of said hopper including a pair ofcomplemental plates hinged at one end for movement toward and away fromone another, and said plates being complementarily notched to providethrough openings for accommodating said core members when the plates ofsaid Valve are in a closed position. JOSEPH J. HOLLAND, JR.

